Do You Love Vinyl?

When I was very little one of my favorite things to do was listen to my Grandmother's record collection. We didn't have a cassette player yet then and the local AM  radio was on a lot during the day playing oldies.
In the evenings after dinner my Gran would set aside some time to play with me. I loved to play dress up with old vintage dresses that had been hers, or her sisters, play records and dance around the living room. One of my very favorite albums was  "Arthur Murray's Music For Dancing" I loved the photo on the jacket of Arthur Murray dancing with his wife. I loved her champagne colored dress. I loved that the back showed you the dance steps. And I loved the music!

Other favorite albums of mine were, "The King And I"  and  "The Sound of Music" soundtracks. I remember dancing around to the later when I was only three and we still lived in Brooklyn. From Liberace to Nat King Cole, there wasn't much I didn't like. I think because I have these great memories associated with vinyl, that it is still something I love to this day. I am the proud owner of all my Gran's records now along with some that had been my Aunt's and numerous albums that I have purchased myself.

Occasionally I will find a record or two at local antique malls or flea markets. My very favorite place to find records is from our yearly local library sale! They always have a lot of records that people have donated or that have come from other area libraries and are priced around fifty cents. Then a week or so after the sale you can buy what's left by the bag! The first year I found them there, I came home with several original Frank Sinatra Capitol records. They are some of my favorites. The next sale is coming up in May and I can't wait!

Another aspect of albums I am intrigued by is the sleeve artwork. Sometimes I will buy an album just because I love the jacket. It's a bonus when it sounds great too!

My Grandmother's stereo set was a mid century Sony. Unfortunately I don't have it. I play my records on a reproduction Crosley from Target that also play's cassettes and CD's. It's been a very good purchase and I've had it a number of years now.

Do you have a record collection? If so, I'd love to know what your favorites are and where you like finding them best. Looking forward to reading your comments!

Sew For Spring!

I just listed a bunch of vintage patterns in my shop if you need some inspiration to start sewing for spring!

200 Sold!

To celebrate having sold 200 of the 1940's style snood I will be hosting a giveaway soon! It is still in the planning stage so stay tuned and pass the word!

The "Mildred"

Named for my Great-Aunt "Mickey" the Mildred bag is now available in my shop.
It is crocheted in brilliant red nylon for durability, fully faced in red cotton, reinforced with buckram for stability and lined with cherry print fabric.

Watch for the Lillian Bag next and please remember to vote for your favorite snood colors by January 10th.

Giveaway Time!!!

I have officially sold 100 of the basic 1940's style hair snoods! So as promised I would like to do a giveaway as a big THANK YOU to all the lovely lady's who have been the most divine customers all around the world.
This giveaway is for a bag of a few things I hope you will like. The winner will recieve an Arthelia's Attic tote bag, a vintage 1950's black hat, an Arthelia's Attic coffee mug, a vintage copy of one of my favorite books Our Heart's Were Young And Gay by Cornelia Otis Skinner and Emily Kimbrough from 1942 and last but not least, one of my 1940's snoods in the winners choice of colors!


To Enter:
First, you MUST be a follower of my blog.
Post a comment for one entry. For additional entry's you can
A)Post about my giveaway on your blog and put the link in your comment.
B)Share my giveaway on Facebook and mention that you have in your comment
C)Tweet about the giveaway and mention it in your comment.

So, if you were to do all of the above you would have a total of 4 entries.
The giveaway will run from today April 26, through Wednesday May 5th. The winner will be announced on Friday May 6th.

Family Finds

My Mom came across these wonderful photo's the other day and scanned them for me. These would have been taken in the early 1950's. Maybe about '52 or '53. These were taken in front of my Great-grandmother's home on Schenectady Ave. in Brooklyn that you see in the background on the left. The first picture is my Grandparent's Ethel and Frank. Isn't that Pontiac wonderful? I would love to have that today!

The second picture shows my Aunt Ethel, Uncle Frank, and the little girl is my Mom.

It Wouldn't Be The Holiday's With Out Them...

My favorite classic Holiday films, that is.!
Here are the original trailers for several of my very favorites. If you haven't seen some these be sure to look for them. They are a treat!

Christmas in Connecticut is my #1 favorite and I always save it to watch on Christmas Eve.



Holiday Inn


It's A Wonderful Life



White Christmas

My 5 All Time Favorie Actresses and 5 Least Favorite

Being inspired by this post by Lolita Haze who was inspired by this post by Amy Jean...I am now compiling my own list. This is not something I really had to give much thought to as being such a classic film fan for my entire life; I have thought about this many times before.

My all time LEAST favorite actress is Katherine Hepburn.
Granted, I loved watching Bringing Up Baby when I was little but I think it was mainly due to the big cat. I can tolerate her in Alice Adams, posibly because she is very young and not totally obnoxious. And I love Desk Set simply because it is a cool office movie. Anything else, you can have her!

Joan Crawford~ Apologies in advance to my husband who likes her.
I can tolerate her in Grand Hotel. In Mildred Pierce I totally forget that I don't like her. Love the movie and love her in it. She truly does a great job in that. But that is where it ends for me.

Marlene Dietrich
I have no desire to see anything she has done.

Greta Garbo
Like Joan, I put up with her in Grand Hotel but that's it.

Rita Hayworth
I love her hair but I don't care for her face or her films. I have tried to like her, honestly I have but I just don't.


Now on to my favorites! These are in no particular order since these ladies all hold special places in my heart.


Jeanette MacDonald

A beautiful lady with a beautiful voice. Her films with Nelson Eddy are my favorites.

Deanna Durbin
She's charming when she is a child and is a beauty when she gets older. Another beautiful singer!

Ann Sothern
I have always felt Ann was a totally under rated actress. From her Maisie movies to her TV career in Private Secretary and The Ann Sothern Show, she has charm and wit that is unbeatable!

Ginger Rogers
What can I say about this lady that has not already been said? She is wonderful in all her films with Fred Astair but I think she truly shines in the films where she is not required to put on her dancing shoes. My favorites are The Major and The Minor, Once Upon A Honeymoon, and Kitty Foyle.

Teresa Wright
It's easy to tell Teresa was a stage actress at a young age. Not as glamorous as others but totally charming. My favorite films of her's include The Best Years Of Our Lives, Shadow of A Doubt, and The Little Foxes.

I could most likely keep going beyond five in this category as there are other ladies I adore, but these are on the top where they will always remain.

Goodbye Cherry Red Lipstick And Lace

For the past several years my main interest involved working with vintage dolls. I became interested in doing this through online friends that I had and my love for collecting vintage dolls from the 30's through the 50's. I have boxes of desperate dolls as proof of my passion.
I decided to take my love for the dolls and my sewing skills and combine them into a business. I did minor repairs for people, and made reproductions of old doll dresses.
The problem with this was I didn't get ton's of work and it took me quite some time to get the projects I did get completed. I also found it very stressful to work on someone else's doll. Since I have had my Etsy shop I have found less time to do the sewing so I have made the decision to quit doing this kind of work. The items in my shop are mostly knit and crochet which I find much less stressful and easier to fit into my schedule. So this is a goodbye to Cherry Red Lipstick and Lace. Here are some of the outfits I created over the past years. Enjoy!

For Your Vintage Kitchen

Ahhhhh...the vintage kitchen! Is there anything more delightful? From the gleaming chrome to the glossy vinyl chairs there is something magical about it. If you are like me, you may have tried to incorporate this look in your own kitchen. From the jadeite green walls to the black and white checker board floor, all the work was well worth it! But even if you are unable to do major remodeling there are always subtle touches that can be added to give your kitchen the warmth and love of those in days gone bye.
I am pleased to offer a new item in my shop that may be just the little accent your kitchen has been needing.
These darling red and white potholders are made from an original pattern from 1953 and are made from 100% cotton! They can also be custom ordered in other colors to match your own kitchen's decor. See them here.